The central government has announced a ban on single-use plastic items with low utility and high littering potential, effective from July 1, 2022. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has planned to phase-out several of these items by today (Thursday).

In an attempt to make the country plastic-free, owing to its harmful effects on the environment, the production, importation, stocking, distribution, sale, and use of certain identified single-use plastic items are being banned. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change informed in a statement that “India will ban manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of identified single use plastic items, which have low utility and high littering potential, all across the country from July 1, 2022.”

The list of plastic items which shall be prohibited with effect from July 1 include, ear buds with plastic sticks, plastic sticks for balloons, plastic flags, candy sticks, ice-cream sticks, polystyrene (thermocol) for decoration; plates, cups, glasses, cutlery such as forks, spoons, knives, straw, trays; wrapping or packing films around sweet boxes, invitation cards, and cigarette packets, plastic or PVC banners less than 100 micron, and stirrers.

The government had earlier mentioned in its notification that a “single-use plastic commodity” is a plastic item intended to be used once for the same purpose before being disposed of or recycled. The notification added that urban local bodies and gram panchayats will be responsible for setting up a waste management system and maintaining it. These bodies will apparently be required to ensure plastic waste segregation, collection, storage, processing and proper disposal.